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Poster for The James Dean Story

The James Dean Story

1957 · 81 min

A wistful, photograph-driven remembrance that feels like leafing through a scrapbook of a life cut short, more elegy than exposé.

Directed by
Robert Altman, George W. George
Genres
Documentary
Starring
James Dean, Martin Gabel, Lew Bracker
Tagline
The real story of the most talked-about star of our time!
Overview
Released two years after James Dean's death, this documentary chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, outtakes from East of Eden, footage of the opening night of Giant, and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving.

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Stream in the UK
  • Artiflix
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Robert Altman, George W. George
Genres
Documentary
Starring
James Dean, Martin Gabel, Lew Bracker
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • death
  • celebrity
  • memory
  • identity
  • grief
Places
  • big city
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • documentary
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence none
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour2
Realism9
Romance1
Tension2
Darkness4
Complexity4
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Artiflix
Free
  • Plex
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
documentary
Directed by
Robert Altman, George W. George
Written by
Stewart Stern
Starring
James Dean, Martin Gabel, Lew Bracker, Marvin Carter, Patsy D'Amore, Charles Dean, Emma Dean, Louis de Liso
Music
Leith Stevens
Runtime
81 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
French, English

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